I have at least one leak in my 86 supra comp and its got me weary of running it with any ballast. It looks like its leaking around the drivshaft fitting through the hull and/or the rudder. Its not bad but a couple gallons an hour maybe more which sucks. I think i'm gonna take it to the dealer tomarrow because i'm not sure i trust myself to fix it. <BR> <BR>I put some silicone caulk around the areas but it basically got blasted off by the water. <BR> <BR>Anybody else deal with this on an older boat. Are there seals that have gone bad?

trash4life

05-10-2006 9:57 PM

I'm dealing with the exact same thing except its on a new boat,not used. I do have it at the dealer right now getting checked out but he mentioned that there is a seal around the drive shaft that probably needs to be replaced. I'll know more once they get more time to look at it. I also tried to silicone it a few times and it doesn't help. Hopefully its something as simple as replacing a seal like they thought.

greenpinky

05-11-2006 5:05 AM

Guys, your driveshafts are supposed to leak. Don't put silicon on it! It's your packing gland, and they probably just need to be adjusted. Check your owners manual for the right leak rate - probably a few drops every 10 or 15 seconds. If it's leaking more than that (which it definately sounds like it is), tighten your packing nut and try it again. <BR> <BR>All ski/wakeboard boats will drip in this area. It is for cooling purposes.

rodmcinnis

05-11-2006 1:49 PM

Like Mike said, if it is leaking along the prop shaft it is supposed to, at least a bit. A couple gallons an hour is a bit much though, so you can adjust it. <BR> <BR>If you have the traditional stuffing box then there will be two nuts that cap the stuffing box with the prop shaft passing through them. One is narrow, which is the jam nut. The other is very wide and has the packing inside it. <BR> <BR>To adjust the packing you back off the jam nut then tighten the wide nut A SMALL AMOUNT. I am talking about 1/4 of a turn. Tightten the jam nut back to hold it there and try it out. If it still leaks too much tighten is some more. If you can't tighten it any more then you have to add more packing, back the nut all the way out, buy some packing, wrap it around the shaft and put the nut back. <BR> <BR>As said before, it is supposed to leak. Like a drop every few seconds. If you tighten the packing down too tight it will create too much friction between the shaft and the packing and could damage the shaft. <BR> <BR>Ideally you can find a point where it only leaks while the shaft is turning and doesn't leak while the engine is off. <BR> <BR>If the leak is coming from there the stuffing box fastens to the bottom of the boat then you need to remove it completely, clean the area really good, apply new caulking and put it back together. Trying to caulk the seam will never work.

jpshaff01

05-11-2006 2:20 PM

Thanks Rod, thats pretty much what the dealer told me but i think i got a problem with my rudder too. So i took it it to have both those things looked at and get the engine alignment checked, we just got it so i figure i mind as well have it checked up so something doesnt make it more expensive.

jpshaff01

05-15-2006 10:56 AM

So they said the fitting around the drivshaft you were talking about it loose and needs to be looked at to see how much damamge there is. And they said the glass around the rudder isn't very strong so they are going to take 2 1/2 hours to take the gas tank, seat and all that stuff out to further investigate. Anybody ever hear of this, when we bought it all i did was look at the prop and see if it was messed up , i guess next time i buy i boat i'll look more underneath. <BR> <BR>My main concern was stringers, hours, interior so i guess i slipped up on noticing this problem. <BR> <BR>Tell me what you guys think i got myself into

rodmcinnis

05-15-2006 11:08 AM

This is a 1986 boat? <BR> <BR>It could be something really simple, but it could be a money pit. Definately investigate to find out what the real story is but be prepared for the worst. <BR> <BR>There are two likely sceanarios as to how the shaft log and rudder mount got this way. <BR> <BR>1) Previous owner hit something, like a rock or log that just destroyed the prop, shaft, and rudder and possibly the strut. He replaced the damaged/missing pieces and returned the boat to service and either didn't realize or care that the through hull fittings for the rudder and prop shaft were damaged or at least knocked a little loose. <BR> <BR> If this is the case it might be a simple matter of re-seating the fittings or perhaps replacing the fittings. <BR> <BR>2) Slow leaks over the years have allowed water to penetrate the wood core and has caused it to rot. Now the rotting wood that is inside the fiberglass no longer has enough strength to do its job and the fittings can't be tightened down or held properly. <BR> <BR> If this is the case it is going to be expensive. It can be repaired but it is a lot of work. Remove enough stuff to get to all the effected area (might include engine removal). Rip all the inside glas up, scrape out the wood, piece new wood in and reglass. <BR> <BR>If the core of the hull is rotten then the stringers are suspect as well. The good news is that once you have the bottom ripped up replacing the stringers isn't that much more work.... <BR> <BR>

jpshaff01

05-15-2006 11:25 AM

I don't think i have a wood core, at least my broschure and manual from 86 says its some kind of core mat that was newer around that time. The guy that owned this before me had new stringers and floor put in in 2001. So i assumed all the wood should be good on this thing. <BR> <BR>I think i'm gonna go to the dealer in an hour and look at it with them when its apart.

ladyboarder

05-15-2006 12:06 PM

I don't think Supra's have a wooden core hull. It is a solid fiberglass hull with wood stringers and floor. If it is just the packing that is leaking that is an easy fix like others have said. The glass around the rudder may not be strong, but it's not really the glass that is letting in the water, it's the thru hull fitting, unless the glass has pulled away from the fitting. I'm not sure about the water sealing method of the rudder, but I know I had to keep a pretty close watch on the shaft seal in my '96 Sunsport because it would loosen up pretty often and leak like a water fountain. I would either tighten it down or replace the packing and be good to go. <BR>Someone please correct me if I'm wrong in my above statements. <BR>

jpshaff01

05-16-2006 3:57 PM

Yeah so its turns out the guy had a new floor and stringers put in but left the wooden supports for the driveshaft and rudder in. I went to the dealer and they showed me the rudder part is complete mush but i'm gonna have both replaced. Also around the rudder the glass is messed up that has to be redone too. Total estimate is $1800 and it will be out of comission for probably over a week. <BR> <BR>I read so much about this crap before buying one, this needs to go on the list of things to attempt to check.

bob

05-17-2006 11:01 AM

Jon that sucks. Sure cant check everything in the world on a boat. Even paid surveyors can and do miss things. You just need to trust that you checked everything you could possibly check. One reason i'm glad I bought new even though it wasnt a v or d.